Marinara Sauce
This classic marinara sauce with crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic and fresh basil is an Italian staple made easy in the Thermomix. The all-in-one kitchen machine chops, sautés and simmers the sauce to a silky consistency without splattering on your hob. Ideal as a base for pasta, pizza or lasagne, ready with minimal effort.
About this recipe
Marinara sauce Thermomix TM7 style is the quick weeknight dinner hero every kitchen needs. This authentic Italian tomato sauce, made with canned crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil, comes together in one bowl of your all-in-one kitchen machine with barely any washing up. The TM7 chops the onion and garlic finely, sautés them gently in olive oil, then simmers the tomatoes with sugar and salt until the sauce turns silky and deeply flavoured, all without splattering across your hob or requiring constant stirring. Searching for marinara sauce recipes usually means long simmering on the stove, but precise temperature control here prevents the sugars from catching on the bottom. Serve it over spaghetti, spoon it onto homemade pizza, or layer it in a lasagne. It is also a fantastic make-ahead sauce for meal prep, storing well in the fridge or freezer for busy days when a fast, vegetarian pasta dinner is the goal.
Preparation tips
- For the deepest flavour, let the onion and garlic sauté in the extra virgin olive oil until translucent before adding the crushed tomatoes; this sweetens the aromatics and forms a solid base for your marinara.
- Tear the fresh basil rather than chopping it and stir it in at the very end, so the leaves keep their bright colour and aroma instead of turning dark in the hot tomato sauce.
- This sauce keeps up to five days in a sealed container in the fridge and freezes beautifully in portions, so double the batch and thaw a portion for an effortless pasta night.
Recipe variations
- Arrabbiata variation: add a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes when sautéing the garlic for a spicy kick, keeping the classic crushed tomato and basil base intact for those who like heat with their pasta.
- Puttanesca-style variation: stir in chopped olives, capers and a few anchovy fillets after the sauce has simmered, giving the marinara a salty, savoury depth perfect for a Friday night spaghetti.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Fine chopping - The TM7 blitzes the onion and garlic clove into tiny, even pieces that melt into the tomato sauce. [Chopping]. [Multi-Function]
- Gentle sautéing - Precise temperature control of the Thermomix softens the aromatics in olive oil without any burning. [Heating]. [Precision Control]
- Hands-free simmering - The Thermomix stirs the crushed tomatoes continuously, preventing splashes and scorching hands-free. [Mixing]. [Hands-Free]
- Built-in scale - Weigh the sugar, salt and olive oil directly into the mixing bowl of the Thermomix for consistent seasoning. [Weighing]. [Built-in Scale]
- Silky finishing - The TM7 blends the basil leaves into the sauce for a velvety, restaurant-style marinara texture. [Browning]. [Multi-Function]
Ingredients
- onion
- garlic clove
- extra virgin olive oil
- canned crushed tomatoes
- sugar
- salt
- basil leaf, fresh